More Early Voting Hanky-Panky. Poll Observers needed! (UPDATED w/ link)
You may remember this story from AKM on Tuesday:
In Homer, apparently, reports were received that each booth had a written list of the write-in candidates posted. This is electioneering, and absolutely illegal. If you see anything irregular when you are early voting, please take a picture of it.
The above picture is courtesy of KTVA’s Matt Felling from a message he put out on Twitter. The Alaska Democratic Party was sent this picture by an early voter in Homer who saw the list when he walked into the booth. Sure enough, the list was in all of the booths.
The Alaska Democratic Party sent a letter of complaint to the Division of Elections over the incident. However, this is far from the only problem.
Today, the Democratic Party held a press conference describing even MORE evidence of partisanship by Division of Elections poll volunteers:
Rob Sterling went today to the Chugiak Senior Center to cast his early vote. After showing his ID, getting his ballot, and going to his voting area, he asked an election worker, “How do you do a write-in?”
The election worker took Sterling’s ballot, re-oriented it, pointed to the U.S. Senate write-in space, and said:
“Since it’s only you and me in here, what you do is fill in this oval here and write Lisa Murkowski’s name here.”
Then the election worker called over another election worker who provided Sterling with a sheet of paper with Lisa Murkowski’s name. Sterling, who is training to be a poll watcher, said, “I thought you weren’t allowed to do this.” To which both election workers replied, “We were told we could.”
When I asked “who” actually told them, I was informed that it was the Division of Elections.
DOE Director, Gail Fenumiai responded to the letter from AK Democratic Party Chair, Patti Higgins point by point. Where there seems to be serious disagreement is the reponse to point #3:
Hmmm…I was not allowed to leave my “Obama” button on in 2008 UNDER MY COAT when I walked into the polling place. I had to take it off and put it in my pocket. Yet, they are claiming that SHOWING A PIECE OF PAPER WITH THE WRITE-IN CANDIDATES NAMES ON IT fits the requirements of the Alaska Statutes under “helping” voters?
Attorney representing the ADP, Joe McKinnon, disagrees (emphasis mine):
You are correct that election officials may assist voters, when requested, as provided for by AS 15.15.240, which states:
A qualified voter needing assistance in voting may request an election official, a person, or not more than two persons of the voter’s choice to assist. If the election official is requested, the election official shall assist the voter. If any other person is requested, the person shall state upon oath before the election official that the person will not divulge the vote cast by the person assisted.
The statute clearly contemplates a voter who requires assistance because of illiteracy, physical incapacity, or inability to operate the polling machinery. It does not allow poll workers to freely provide counsel and advice to voters as to the array of potential voting options. There is no indication either in the text of the statute or its legislative history that the statute was intended to empower poll workers to give information to voters as to their potential voting choices. Such conduct, inadvertently or by design, could sway voters in their decision-making. Poll workers are present to ensure that voters are able to use the polling machinery, not to provide voting advice.
HERE IS A LINK to sign up as a “poll watcher”…they are desperately needed. If you don’t have the time to sign up for a shift or two, PLEASE keep your eyes and ears open when you do go to vote and report ANYTHING that seems unseemly! (Also, it doesn’t hurt to carry a camera and a recording device, just in case.)
This nightmare is only beginning, folks. I have no doubt that this is start of many posts on the subject.
If anyone needed one more reason NOT to vote for Lisa Murkowski, this is it.
The list is a brilliant strategy on the part of Miller supporters. Lt. Governor Craig Campbell is a Miller supporter. There’s a good chance that our courts will toss out votes cast for Lisa where the “list” has been distributed. Why brilliant, because both Miller supporters and progressives will be convinced by the media (ADN for example) that the “list” was created on Lisa’s behalf, when nothing could be further from the truth.
Piece by piece, little by little the Repubs tear apart the threads of society in their unrepetant march towards plutocracy.
Yes, I’m forced to agree. We need an injunction against the Div. of Elections and their illegal interpretation of the law and advice to poll workers. And we need poll watchers. Still the enforcement, if the rules are not absolutely clear, and the consequences absolutely clear, will not be even-handed across the State.
Elections must be fair, even-handed, and a trusted process.
I was a poll observer for the 2008 Nov election. It was very interesting to walk into the place where I have cast my vote for the last 15 years and watch the poll workers suddenly straighten up and break out their rule book saying “We’ve never had a poll watcher here before”. They (these nice ladies from my neighborhood) got very nervous (eyes as big as saucers). I must say that they went out of their way to accomodate me. It was a very interesting scenario. Interesting that there were no poll watchers from the republican party. You get to watch all of the people in your neighborhood march through to cast their votes and you have to have your eyes everywhere all at once. I think that it is a good idea to have poll watchers (from both sides) because it just reminds the poll workers not to fudge on any of the rules and tries to ensure that if there are any machine failures, etc that they are dealt with in a legal manner. Kind of like the security of having a police car drive by occasionally to make a neighborhood feel a little safer. It isn’t a complete fix but it is certainly a deterrent.
I would like to believe that people aren’t going to cheat but I know the reality. I would highly recommend that you volunteer for this duty if you can. Even for a few hours.
Duh. I’m a voter. I don’t know who to vote for. Would you assist me please?
The rules need to be clearly defined.
SR: How the laws are interpreted very much depends who is at the helm. Remember, the AG is appointed.
That is so unfortunate. Wish the AG could be voted in.
Definitely sounds like more poll observers are needed. It’s an enormous and stressful job trying to preserve the integrity of the vote, but the alternative of not doing so is untenable.
Great post, Linda.
It’s a big deal because it is blatant disregard for the agreed upon rules and regulations of a civilized society.
The point is not whose names are posted, but the fact that they are posted contrary to accepted policy and requirements.
The process is out of compliance, therefore it is not equitable, not a level playing field, irregular, therefore must be called in question.
The citizens who voted under the circumstances have had their ballots quarantined thus disenfranchised. How would you feel if it were you?
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the federal and state statutes before opining.
I agree, SR, you really should read the federal and state statutes:
42 USC (United States Code) Sec. 1973aa-6: Voting assistance for blind, disabled or illiterate persons
I repeat: VOTING ASSISTANCE FOR BLIND, DISABLED OR ILLITERATE PERSONS!
http://vlex.com/vid/voting-blind-disabled-illiterate-persons-19251267#ixzz134TNSfx6
That’s what Alaska Statute 15-15-240 is based upon…assisting disabled voters.
This is the kind of thing I’ve been dealing with for the last 2 years and I’m sick of it…the Alaska Statutes get twisted by the people who are supposed to be protecting us in order for powerful folks to get their way. It happened with the majority of the ethics complaints and it happened with the court decisions that went Palin’s way.
I said this from the very beginning…if Palin gets away with it than everyone is going to try it. Sometimes I hate being right.
So not having a name on the ballot makes the person who might want to vote for someone [who is not listed on the ballot] “BLIND, DISABLED OR ILLITERATE”?
The AK Dept of Elections is telling us, in essence, that all voters who want to vote for Murkowsky, Hill, and/or Cook are either blind, disabled, or illiterate? Wow! beth.
I’m glad YOU said it! (LOL)
Hah, seems that way.
Since it is allowed in Texas, are all their voters blind, disabled or illiterate?
Bretta, thank you for stating the problem so eloquently. I am just sick about this (not just the 17 Homer votes–but the div. of elections purposefully sending out lists for poll workers to use to ‘assist’ voters). We want to trust, and that has been broken.
Yes, trust in the election process is an essential element of democracy.
We don’t have that here right now.
I’m sorry, but having a list of the oficial write-in candidates available to voters is the election law in most jurisdictions. I don’t see how Alaska election workers should not provide that information to voters. Posting the list in the booth is what is done here in Texas. Now I think it is wrong to have only official write-in candidates count but I don’t have any problems in providing information to voters.
Yes, and many jurisdictions allow the write-in campaign to distribute stickers for the ballots.
Not in Alaska.
Not in Colorado, either.
Republicans are in charge in Texas also.
Gary, I’m in Texas, too. It doesn’t matter what we do in Texas; the subject at hand here is determining what is legal and/or illegal in electioneering in Alaska.
The rules there are different in Alaska, and apparently, the Republican in charge of the elections there intended to run HER elections HER way.
Thank goodness, the word is getting out that she is stomping on the state’s voting regulations with her little pre-printed lists.
Now, if she gets replaced by someone intent on actually following the law, that will be even better.
That is not the law in most states. I don’t know why it is done in Texas, but it is illegal in Colorado. Election workers can have a list, but it is never given to voters- that is electioneering or unduly influencing the voter. A voter can write-in any name, even Mickey Mouse, or “none of the above”. If a list is posted, voters think these are the only ones allowed-
They must be really afraid if they are taking out this kind of “insurance”.
What a bunch of creeps.
They’re afraid of the incredible hulk?? But he’s so nice!
And open and transparent and honest. No wonder they’re so scared. How the heck are they going to deal with that?
Wouldn’t you just love to have Diane Bensen as Lt. Gov. and in charge of elections in Alaska?
This whole shenanigan might give Berkowitz/Benson a big boost!
Or not, since the Division of Elections is simply following federal and state law.
AG Sullivan should be fired for incompetence. According to the letter from the div. of elections to Patti Higgins, the dept. of law has been working for weeks with the div. of elections to analyse the law concerning the unique circumstances of this election. What unique circumstances? We have had write-ins before. We have poll worker instructions which are lengthy and detailed, based on the law. What happens to lawyers when they get to Alaska? Do they become stupid? AG Sullivan thinks it’s legal for poll workers to pull out a list of write in candidates? Joe Miller thinks using colleagues’ computers to cheat with is okay as long as you do it during your lunch break? Or dear, the list of AK lawyers doing stupid things recently is long. . .
Unique in that their girl, Lisa, is now the write-in. Looks like the Rethugs are leaning against Miller more and more.
No, they don’t think lawyers are stupid, they think the voters are stupid. I have voted for many years, and I have never seen instructions for writing in anyone’s name posted in any of the polling places. I have never seen a list of person’s name who can be written in. I can look at the form and see that if i want to write in somebody’s name, there is a space for it, and (lately) also a bubble to fill in just like there is a space and bubble for a person whose name is printed on the ballot. If I would have wanted to write in someone’s name, I would have simply had their name written on a piece of paper in my pocket or purse. Where there is a will there is a way……. but republicans/tea party participants know that people have to be programmed (brainwashed) assisted to follow orders. They’ve been doing it for a few years now. That’s the only thing that can explain the primary and Joe Miller.
And who is in charge of the elections. This whole thing is befouled by ego’s and idiots.
Sullivan and Campbell. Working closely with all their Republican buddies.
I don’t understand how they can possibly think it’s OK to tell someone a name to write in or show them a list.
Back in the 90s my mother’s eye sight started to fail. I drove her to her polling place but she had trouble with the voting machine. As her daughter I was not allowed to sit with her and read her the ballot. One of the election official had to do it. And they were quite nice about it, but she never liked having to do it. One of the times, one of the officials suggested that she sign up for an absentee ballot. It was much better for her – I read her the ballot and she told me what to mark. I would never have changed her vote, nor did we discuss the candidates or issues while she was voting.
I have always taken the right and responsibility of voting to be a very serious matter that needs to be done properly and honestly. Election officials who choose to interpret the rules rather than following them to the letter should be sent home. Someone else can take their place.
Moose Pucky, Can you respond to the specific points made by the Division of Elections in its letter? In particular, how do you deal with the federal and state statutes, which trump the Division’s regulation? Moreover, some have suggested that poll workers are expected to only help people that are blind or disabled fill in a name. But what about someone that is dyslexic? Where do you draw the line and what basis do you have for drawing that line? Finally, what is more important to you: effectuating the intent of the voter or having poll workers refuse to assist for fear of seeming partial?
I’m going to jump in here…[surprised?]…to my reading of the regs, a person may ask for assistance in voting — even for assistance in the booth. OK. If they are blind or dyslexic or otherwise disabled, they are more than welcome to ask a family member, friend, or whoever they like, to accompany them and to assist in the voting process. A voter is not going to suddenly become blind, dyslexic, and/or otherwise disabled when they arrive at the polling place…they will know of their condition before hand. They can ask for an absentee ballot prior to election day or have someone they trust accompany them to the polling place/booth.
The poll worker is there to assist ALL voters, to insure the voting goes smoothly, that there are no irregularities, that every voter is properly accounted for/registered, etc., *not* to actually cast votes *for* a voter. Leastwise that’s always been my understanding of the poll workers job. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so — if the poll worker(s) were to offer any ‘more’ assistance to a voter, it’d end up like it is doing now in AK. The poll worker is *between* the voter and the vote; that’s not allowed. beth.
(Heck, I’ve been to the polls when folks have forgotten their reading glasses and a panicky call has gone out from them to anyone who might let them borrow a pair of readers for a bit…they’ve been accommodated, but that is totally different than having the poll worker read the ballot *for* them and then casting the vote *for* the person they’ve just read the slate to. b.)
I agree with beth.
What is wrong and is new this year is a letter sent to election workers WITH A LIST OF THREE WRITE INS admonishing workers to “ASSIST” voters if needed. Is implied use the list to “assist” voters.
This introduces so many problems/ambiguities/potential for illegal eletioneering that no one, clearly not a multitude of rural election workers, knows what the rules are.
Stick with b) and with c) in the rules should be made perfectly clear. All can understand that fair and square across the state.
“””…federal and state statutes, which trump the Division’s regulation?”””
State regulations are based on State statutes, not trumped by them.
State of Alaska regulations may not be more stringent than federal statute and regulation but federal statute does not “trump the Division’s regulation.”
It looks like these elections helpers are using the ” Palin Method “..
They ” will do what they want.. until somebody tells them they can’t”.
That’s the Palin/Parnell method.
Exactly… they’re not breaking the law unless you catch ’em. You betcha wink wink 😉
Here’s the law:
6 AAC 25.070. Write-in candidates; use of stickers
(a) Stickers may not be used on a ballot.
(b) Information regarding a write-in candidate may not be discussed, exhibited, or provided at the polling place, or within 200 feet of any entrance to the polling place, on election day.
(c) A voter who chooses to write in the name of a candidate may do so in the space provided on the ballot. In order for the write-in vote to be counted, the voter must also fill in the oval next to the name of the candidate.
(d) Instructions for indicating a write-in choice will be posted in each polling place. If the instructions are not understood, the voter may ask an election official for assistance.
http://www.touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/aac/title06/chapter025/section070.htm
Note (d). As you can see – it’s not quite as clear as you stated…. and the emphasized “illiteracy, physical incapacity, or inability ” is not in the law at all.
Besides – the statute (15.15.240) McKinnon referenced has nothing to do with write-ins.
(b) Information regarding a write-in candidate may not be discussed, exhibited, or provided at the polling place, or within 200 feet of any entrance to the polling place, on election day.
(b) is quite clear.
You can’t twist (d) into undoing (b) by saying “you can assist the voters by showing them a list”. I see it’s not much of a list. Three names. One clearly well-known.
A judge needs to tell the highly partisan Division of Elections that they must instruct election works that this list cannot be shown to voters at the polls. If someone asks how to do a write in, they can say, then they can say you write in the name you want where you want and fill in the oval.”
That’s it. No specifics. No names. No explanation of what seat the write-in is for. That kind of “help” is electioneering. This direction needs to come down from Department of Elections now or Alaskans have no choice but to seek an injunction to stop current instructions and orders to make it happen right.
We are not allowed to even park a vehicle with a bumper sticker on it within 200 feet of the polls.
And it sure looks to me like (d)– providing instructions for indicating a write-in choice–is quite clearly fulfilled by simply posting (c) as it stands. Simple. Done.
(c) A voter who chooses to write in the name of a candidate may do so in the space provided on the ballot. In order for the write-in vote to be counted, the voter must also fill in the oval next to the name of the candidate.
No names, no hints, no “it’s just between you and me” surreptitious moments murkying up the process.
Excellent way to approach this. Department of Elections is playing games. Ethical behavior is not going to come from them. Somebody has to make them do this election fair and square for all the candidates, not just their Republican buddy.
The law IS clear. If someone asks, they can get assistance as to HOW to indicate a write-in choice, and can be directed to the instructions posted in the voting booth for HOW to do a write-in. There are other parts of statutes, regs, and instructions to poll workers which talk about assisting voters with disabilities, etc. But always, the idea is that you assist with getting a vote recorded and never with providing any new info.
IOW: “Mr. Smith, there are instructions in the voting booth on how to write-in a candidate. I understand they might be a bit confusing to some voters, so let me tell you what they say: If you want to vote for a candidate whose name is not printed on the ballot, you simply go to the section of the ballot where that race is listed (house, senate, mayor, governor, or whatever), write his or her name on the line provided, and then fill in the oval next to where you’ve written in the name. Once you’ve finished voting, [instructions to pull the lever, put the ballot in the box, or whatever the particulars are], and you are done.”
Something along those lines MUST come out of the Department of Elections…and it MUST be standardized so *all* poll workers tell -verbatim!- voters the exact . same . thing. [think: Miranda] It cannot be assumed the voter wants to write-in *only* for Senate or House Rep…they might want to write-in for dog catcher…or judge…or whatever seat happens to be open this election cycle. By limiting their ‘choices’ of *who* they can write in and *what* seats they can write-in for, they ARE being ‘electioneered’ to. Ooops, a no-no.
Unfortunately, I think it’s already too late…there’s going to be so much legal wrangling over these botched first few days that ALL early-on-site votes will, rightfully, be tossed out…and all those who voted on-site early will be, rightfully, furious (as will the 3 ‘camps’)…and there’ll have to be a whole NEW election held for the Senate and State Rep District [what is it? I can’t read it on the above sheet] positions.
One would *think* folks would figure out there are elections laws in place for a reason…that if they are *followed*, messes like this do not happen. Damned fools keep wanting to add their own little ‘twists,’ though, and the result is, predictably, bad. And in this case, illegal as hell. beth.
This race has finally landed on the Rachel Maddow show. She’s clearly fascinated by it–she even had Nate Silver on tonight to discuss it. Now, she needs to have Shannyn and/or AK Muckraker to help her really cross all the t’s and dot the i’s.
Nice.
May McAdams McWin by a landslide.
When it came to initiatives, Clean Elections and Predator Control, last time around, Sean Parnell was in charge of Department of Elections.
We Alaskans totally let him get away with manipulating the wording on the ballot in those initiatives to deliberately mislead voters.
I guess that’s how one gets to be Governor in Alaska. With as little transparency as possible.
It’s time for a change. While filling in the oval for McAdams, do the same for Berkowitz/Benson as Governor/Lt. Governor.
Diane Benson can be trusted with Alaska’s Department of Elections. Not so Parnell’s henchmen, Sullivan and Campbell.
You guys probably have seen by now that the votes affected by the posted list in Homer have been withdrawn from the counting. This will be the first of hundreds of irregularities, suits and countersuits in this election. Have a feeling we won’t have a resolution of this until sometime next summer. Thanks to Lisa. Been trying to tell one and all that it is just impossible to conceive of over 50,000 Alaskans writing in and filling in the oval correctly for Lisa. And that’s if just half the registered voters actually vote. There will be two names on the ballot and if you don’t cast your vote for Scott McAdams then be prepared for six years of Palin in Pants or worse with Farmer Joe.
Amen! I, too, am extremely skeptical that she can get enough votes with Miller AND McAdams camps now protesting. Scott has a shot. Let’s make it happen!
This deal by the Dept. of Elections is ILLEGAL and we need an immediate injunction against it.
Poll observers are NOT going to be a satisfactory solution to this problem.
There is no way to have consistent rules across the state with the ambiguity implied in the letter by the Department of Elections.
There are going to be plenty of ambiguities, arguments, lawsuits, and maybe even fist fights among election officers at the polls if there isn’t an immediate injunction against the Department of Elections telling poll workers they can use write-in lists to “assist” voters, because they are allowed and required to “assist” voters if needed. Who’s going to be the arbitrator of all this hair-splitting at the polls?
Brought to you by AG’s Department of Elections/Sullivan/Campbell. My guess is also with Parnell’s approval. And you can only guess who thought this one up in the first place.
Alaskans need to put a stop to this now.
I can see it now. “Here, just put Lurky’s name on this line. Oh, and do you want help spelling it? Here you go. Be sure you don’t fill in that oval.”
Works for me.
The best way out of this morass for Alaskans is to just fill in the oval for McAdams, so there will not be even enough write-ins to count.
Here’s a short article from the News-Miner that says the democrats are looking at this as a violation of law. But that was 3 1/2 hours ago and we know how time gets compressed these last few days..
http://www.newsminer.com/view/full_story/10002269/article-Alaska-Democrats-threaten-to-sue-over-write-in-lists?
I agree with them and called them to tell them so. I don’t care what party the folks on that write-in list belong to…their names shouldn’t appear anywhere.
does anyone change their mind when they see a list ? doesn’t seem like a big deal…..am i missing something ?
Fistly, at the very least, some people are swayed away from the names on the ballot if they see the list.
Secondly, a write in vote should be just that – you write in what you want. Mickey Mouse and Pat Paulson were favorites in years past. But there should never be a list saying “if you don’t like the candidate nominated by your party in the Primary Election here is who you should vote for instead.”
If Lisa can’t campaign well enough for people to remember that they want to vote for her once they get into the booth, then she didn’t campaign well enough. She did not win the Primary, and she did not choose to run under the auspices of another party. She didn’t earn a place in the voting booth.
To clarify my first point, swaying someone away from their intended vote inside the ballot box is against the law. No campaigning at polling places.
Agreed, and to add emphasis, providing a list of people who you can write in is also a no-no … especially in the booth.
…and it just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it? Think Joe will sue the State of Alaska for his lawyer fees when he files an appeal of the election results ? How long was it for the Minn. Recount ? I need more popcorn !
The news report I saw showed a dem write in as well. Obviously someone is starting some crap and I don’t put this past the Miller campaign.
There should be NOTHING with the names of candidates on it in the polling place…period.
One thing I do agree with the Miller camp on (god, this is a weird election…) is that actually winning your primary should bring some privileges…basically, getting to have your name on the ballot. There should be absolutely no names of candidates in a polling place other than the ballot…and Attorney Joe McKinnon is abolutely correct in his interpretation, IMHO.
Winning a write-in candidacy is hard because it should be.
OK people….Time to step back & take a breath.
The ADP & their lawyer are either not up on election law or they are trying to gin up another controversy that will cast a cloud over the election results.
They are making a big deal over this list. Yes, it was mistakenly posted in 2 voting booths in Homer. That was corrected in short order & all 17 votes potentially affected have been isolated. But to claim electioneering by having the list available at all is preposterous.
Yes, voters can write-in anyone they choose on their ballot… BUT if they want their vote to be counted, they have to choose one of the write-in candidates that have filed a letter of intent with the Division of Elections & are accepted as an official write-in candidate by meeting the terms set out in law. The list at issue is the Division of Elections’ list of those people who qualify as official write-in candidates. If a voter comes to vote, doesn’t want to vote for anyone listed on the ballot & wants to be sure their vote gets counted they can ask the poll worker for the list of official write-in candidates. The list is the same in every precinct because it comes from the Div. & thus reduces perceived influence. Casting aspersions on the poll workers is really unfair. They are caring, hard working, volunteers who are also our friends & neighbors.
AK_Woman,
The poll workers are paid, not volunteers. I have worked the polls on numerous occasions and have witnessed a lot of illegal activity by election workers, specifically upper election management. I called Juneau during the last presidential election while working early absentee voting, only to be threatened with being fired for talking about discrepancies. I ended up calling the Democrats and a national organization who makes waves over illegal election activity,
I can tell you there has never been a list of write in candidates to hand to voters….never. Poll workers are never to mention the candidates unless they are reading from the ballot and they are to read all the names on the ballot. They are not to tell a voter if they spell a name wrong or if they don’t fill in the oval.
Unfortunately, not all poll workers are honest and Gail Fenumiai is the queen of dishonesty and fixing elections.
I have a friend who moved up from Texas, where the ballot lists Democratic candidates individually, Republican candidates individually, as well as a “Vote all Republican” box where you don’t even have to look. Just check one box for all open offices with a Republican candidate, regardless of who they are. Democrats must be voted for individually.
Wow. If that doesn’t tell you something about the mentality of the Republican party leaders and their lack of respect for their constituents – “just sign here by the “R”, and we’ll take care of all the details for you”. Leave it to Texas… ;-(
That’s not true. I live in Texas and both parties have boxes where you can vote straight party ticket…I have voted straight Democrat for the last 40 years…takes less than 30 seconds. We have a lot of things wrong in Texas (Rick Perry, for one), but I just can’t let this slide.
Where I live now, there must be an equal number of Dem and Rep election workers, to keep an eye on each other and prevent this very sort of hanky panky. Is that not true in AK as well? If so, the Dem poll workers should pay special attention.
Me too. I don’t recall any discussion about write-in candidates when I was trained, but it’s been over 10 years since I worked at a polling station.